By: Spooks
~ ~ ~ ~
A soft knock roused the sleeping pair a couple hours later. As they untangled from each other, Duo yawned and brushed his uninjured fingers through Heero's hair, trying to guide the errant strands into some semblance of normalcy. Heero, in turn, snatched and caught Duo's hand, carefully holding it between both of his. He stood and pulled the other man up from the slightly rumbled bed spread. Another knock came, this one a little louder.
Heero let go of Duo's hand and opened the door. A short nondescript girl in a maid's uniform stood on the other side of the threshold. She was holding a stack of towels and was peering up at them through a shroud of light brown bangs that shown golden at the roots, as though her hair had been lightened by the sun.
"Hello, Mr. Yuy, Mr. Maxwell," She said softly, keeping her head slightly bowed and not making eye contact. "Mr. Winner asked that you be brought some fresh towels since the two of you are sharing a room."
Duo took the stack of fluffy white towels from the girl's arms. "Thanks."
"It was no problem, sir," she replied quietly, smiling faintly. "Just doing my job. Bye."
Heero closed the door as the maid left, turning to his partner. "You want to take a shower now, or what? I know that traveling always makes you feel grungy."
"Sure, I guess my hair could use a wash," Duo replied, bringing a soft towel up to his face and breathing deeply of its fragrant scent. "You want to join me or do you want to go wander around?"
"Both," Heero replied bluntly.
"Well, go wander around, then, I can join you later when we won't have to worry about my hair. That way we can have more fun," Duo said, a wicked grin settling onto his face. It faded in a moment however, when he looked down at his sliced up hand. "Except..."
"How are you going to wash your hair with one hand?" Heero finished for him, running one finger along Duo's bare forearm to trace along the meticulously bandaged hand.
"Well," Duo replied, his voice a mixture between sadness and anticipation. "Guess that means you'll have to join me, huh?"
"Uh-huh," the former Wing Zero pilot mumbled as he circled around Duo. The longhaired man stood still, shivering slightly as his lover gentle took the band off of the end of his braid and started to unravel the chestnut waves. Slowly, the slight weight that tugged on his scalp changed and redirected, relaxing and soothing him as strong but tender fingers massaged through the thick mass, parting it and playing with it, rubbing small delicate patterns lightly across Duo's head and neck.
"Oh, man...You have no idea how good that feels..." Duo purred, leaning back as Heero stepped up behind him.
As the Japanese man pulled the American back against his chest, his fingers stole up beneath the other man's light cotton shirt, Heero's cool fingers tracing hot against the bare skin of Duo's taunt stomach. A moment later the top was gone, and Duo sighed again, enjoying the feel of his own soft hair against his bare back, trapped between his and Heero's bodies, sliding and rubbing and tickling deliciously.
Then the warm pressure was gone, and Duo turned around, his long hair fanning slightly with the movement. He watched quietly as Heero looked at him, a longing look of warmth rising up within those blue pools. For a short eternity the two stood, just watching each other. Then Duo stepped forward, his toes digging into the carpet as he advanced.
Reaching out with both hands, Duo eased them under the edge of Heero's shirt, pulling it off of the other man slowly and carefully, letting warm fingers trace carelessly against the smooth muscular torso beneath. Once the shirt was off, Duo cupped Heero's face with his good hand, the bandaged one stealing up to rest on the back of the taller man's neck. Leaning forward and bringing their bodies together, the American man tilted his head up and took his partner's lips in a delicate, passionate kiss.
Responding immediately, Heero circled his arms around Duo, sliding his hands down and under the man's boxers, feeling the soft skin beneath. Easing the shorts down, they slipped down to rest in a puddle around Duo's bare feet, and a moment later, Heero slid his own boxers off as well. Now completely bared to each other, the two melted into a tight embrace, their lips still battling sweetly, soft pants escaping as the passion began to crescendo between them.
With a playful growl, Heero broke off the kiss and in one swift movement picked Duo right up, one arm supporting the crook of the other man's knees, the other arm carefully circled underneath Duo's shoulders. Taking long strides as Duo laughed quietly in his arms, Heero entered their bathroom. Setting the longhaired man's feet down but not letting go of him completely, Heero held Duo close to him and turned the water on, testing it for temperature. Only at this point did he let finally release the American. Heero stepped into the shower, then turned around and held out his hand in invitation.
Smiling almost shyly, Duo grasped the outstretched hand with his own good one. Stepping into the shower spray, he was forced to stand very close to the Heero in the shower stall. Holding up his bandaged hand so that it wouldn't get wet, Duo allowed himself to be pulled forward into a loose embrace under the spray. Carefully, Heero adjusted the showerhead so that it projected the water in a larger arch. They moved them underneath of the direct arc of the spray and stopped when the water was passing over their heads.
"Step back," Heero whispered, releasing Duo's waist. The American gave him a quick kiss, then did just that, stepping back and turning his back to the spray. He stood for a moment, sighing as the water soaked the long masses of hair, bandaged hand still held up and out of the spray. He moved his hand to clutch top of the fiberglass where the shower edge met with the wall above, the strong muscles of his arm bunching then relaxing.
Heero's hands began to part through Duo's hair, making sure every inch of the wavy locks was completely drenched. A moment later he was working scented shampoo through the thick mass of hair, letting his slick fingers brush frequently against his lover's strong back and neck. Heero then massaged the shampoo into the hair at Duo's scalp, causing the man to moan softly and arch his back in pleasure. Suds of the shampoo dripped off the thick hair and swirled around their feet as Heero moved forward under the spray and pressed himself against Duo's back. He pulled the shorter man's head back slightly so that the spray was hitting front part of his scalp, forcing Duo to shut his eyes against the water running down his face and dripping off his chin.
Heero, never a man to miss such an inviting opportunity, gently took Duo's wet earlobe into his mouth, softly nibbling on the tender flesh and eliciting a soft mewling noise from Duo's slightly parted lips. As Heero pressed his body even closer to Duo's back, he gasped as thick masses of hair and the soft suds of the shampoo caressed his arousal. The head of his erection parted through the damp waves and encountered slick warm flesh, creating a contrast of friction that almost drove the man to loose all control right then and there.
Then Duo was turning and Heero was forced to release the delicate earlobe. A look of naked lust was caught in Duo's passion glazed eyes, and without warning Heero found himself pressed against side of the shower by a suddenly aggressive American. Bandaged hand still gripping the top of the shower, Duo leaned in and covered Heero's slick body with his own, bringing their hot and throbbing arousals together in one frantic, thrusting motion. Groaning into his lover's mouth, Heero pulled the man to him, holding him as their mouths nipped and soothed and suckled and kissed, soft growls and quiet whines coming from both of them as their hips bucked against each other in a frantic dance driven by pure instinctual desire.
Both men were almost screaming as the hot water began to cool around them. Cries growing louder and more ragged, the thrusting dance continued as the friction built up to a fevered pitch. Heero's hands were now white knuckled as he held Duo to him, and with each jab of his hips his control slipped a little more. Faintly he heard the creaking of the fiberglass walls against his back, but more urgent in his mind were the soft pants and deep moans that invaded his mouth as the kiss grew more and more sloppy with passion. Each second was shorter than the last, and finally time stopped for Heero and he fell over the edge. Still thrusting against his partner, he took Duo with him a moment later, their cries echoing around their joined lips and throughout the shower stall. Even as they marked each other with passion, the cool water melted it away, taking the milky substance in a short journey to swirl around the drain before it was gone.
Heero leaned heavily back against the wall of the shower, holding Duo to him in tender embrace. Suddenly the longhaired man cried out in alarm. Instantly worried and protective, Heero maneuvered the showerhead off of them and looked down into his lover's wide eyes. "What's wrong?"
Duo just looked up at his still raised arm, to where his bandaged hand was still clenching at the top edge of the shower. Blood had seeped through the gauze and was trickling thick rivers down his arm. "I guess I ripped open some of my cuts. Maybe we should have stitched them"
"Here," Heero said quietly as he eased the injured hand down. Slowly unraveling the bandages, he winced when he saw the bloody cuts oozing. "I'll wash it for you."
Allowing his lover to attend his wounds, Duo stood still while Heero wrapped his hand in a washcloth. "Quatre's towels..."
"Quatre will understand, I'm sure." Heero responded. "Here, hold this on while I turn up the hot water. We have to get some conditioner in that hair of yours."
Duo just nodded, suddenly quiet. He let Heero massage the sweet smelling conditioner through his hair and then rinse it, all while holding the cloth on his injured hand. Silently the longhaired man cursed the stalker who had sent them that razor-lined package. They had been so involved and so passionate, so intense, but they had been forced to hold back so the bandages wouldn't get wet. Then the whole moment was ruined by his damn cut up hand.
Then Duo reflected that if it wasn't for that hand then they wouldn't have been showering together...well, maybe they would have. Letting a smile ease onto his face, Duo decided to forget about the whole thing for a little while and just enjoy his lover's gentle assistance. Heero was now washing him, paying special attention to his more, ahem, sensitive places.
A few minutes later and the pair were both clean. Heero left the shower first, padded naked out of the bathroom, then returned with the fluffy stack of towels. He secured one around his waist before turning back to his partner. He unfolded a towel and wrapped it around Duo's body, pulling the other man close for a second before releasing him. The two made their way into the bedroom, where Heero proceeded to fuss over Duo's hair, toweling it as dry as he could before gently attacking it with a brush. All the while Duo held his injured hand in the now red soaked washcloth, sighing softly as Heero's hands and the brush's bristles caressed his bare back and neck. With the gentle tugging of his wet hair being woven into a braid, Duo felt as though he had melted into a puddle of contented bliss.
Ten minutes later the two were dressed and Duo's hand was freshly bandaged. Only then did they leave the room, hand in hand, their troubles forgotten as they went to see what their friends were up to.
~ ~ ~ ~
Elsewhere in the mansion, Wufei and Relena were playing a game of pool in one of the recreation rooms. Neither of the two were very good at the game and had been playing the same rack for a good forty minutes, at least. Before they had settled down to attempt playing the game, they had wandered around, arguing and nagging each other about everything under the sun and moon and colonies. An odd pair, their stubborn attitudes both clashed and fit together perfectly. Neither would let the other get away with much, and both were blunt enough that their fights were always short and ended with understanding rather forgotten than contempt.
Relena was bent over the green felt surface of the pool table, taking careful aim with her cue stick. She had lined up a shot with one of her solid colored balls for the corner pocket. Chewing her lower lip and squeezing one eye shut, she carefully readied herself to take the shot.
"Today," Wufei snorted impatiently, circling the table and twirling his cue stick in intricate patterns. He stopped walking and stood over the pocket Relena was aiming at. Crouching down so that his face was level with the pocket, he peered over the edge of the table.
"Get away from there, you're distracting me," the blonde woman muttered around clenched teeth.
"A good sportsman should be able to play under any circumstances," Wufei responded seriously, while crossing his eyes and refusing to move. "I want to win. Besides, you'd do this to me."
"How mature," Relena replied, drawing back and finally taking her shot. Unfortunately, she was off, and the white cue ball skimmed right past the ball she was aiming for and went straight into the pocket. She straightened up, a tiny frown marking her face. "Scratch. Damn it."
"See, you need to work on your concentration, woman," Wufei gloated, standing up and removing the cue ball from the pocket. Sauntering past the blonde, he deliberately placed the cue and lined up a direct shot with one of his stripped balls. Smirking widely, he lined back and smoothly took his shot.
And missed.
Snickering behind her hand, Relena watched the cue ball ricochet a few times around the table, subsequently knocking one of her own balls into a pocket. "Why, thank you, Wufei. How considerate of you."
"Silence. I missed because I was thinking of other things," Wufei stated.
"And here I thought it was because you were terrible at pool. Distracted?" Relena replied, raising one thin eyebrow.
"Yes," the Chinese man admitted. "But I was distracted by something more important than a person watching me."
"Duo and Heero?" Relena asked, immediately picking up on what Wufei was referring to. She circled the pool table, leaning her cue stick against the edge. "They're two grown men, I'm sure that some silly stalker stands no chance against them. Besides, they're in another country now, they're safe."
Wufei eased an arm around her waist in a casual movement. "I know. But that doesn't mean everything will be okay for them when they get back home. No one's ever actually tried to hurt them before, and to go the trouble of booby trapping that package just seems sinister."
Nodding, Relena stepped closer and laid her head on the Chinese man's shoulder. Sighing, she took a deep breath, enjoying the scent of his skin. "Yes, it does. I'm worried, too, I'm just trying to convince myself that I'm not."
"I know," Wufei whispered, his eyes flickering down at the blonde woman now nuzzled against him. A sad note entered his voice, even though he tried hard to mask it. "You still love him, of course you worry."
"Wufei, I--" Relena started, pulling away and looking up at him, her light blue eyes shining brightly. Taking a deep breath, she suddenly hugged him fiercely. "You're right, I do love him. But only as a friend. I love you. We fight all the time, but I don't know what I'd do without you. You're my strength, and you don't always let me get my way. I need that. Not a day goes by that I don't wonder what the hell you're doing with someone as weak as me."
"Weak, you? Don't be ridiculous. It's not every diplomat's daughter that survives her home being torn apart, discovers royal lineage, and ends up heading a movement towards peace in a bitter and bloody war. You were forced from you way of life just as the rest of us were, if not more drastically. Your war experience may have been different than mine, but it was by now means an easy path," Wufei responded, his voice sounding quietly amused while simultaneously sounding infinitely sincere.
It was a conversation they had often. Relena was not as self-assured as she pretended to be, and for all her speeches and polite public posturing as a high profile diplomat, she was still a young woman with ordinary fears and worries. Although Wufei always seemed to be aloof and confident, he dwelled constantly on his personal inadequacies, both real and imagined. The two had in common a false illusion of pride they had to struggle daily to maintain. They had recognized that their fears and personal misgivings paralleled, and it was through this that they had grown closer and closer, until one slightly tipsy night they had become more than just friends.
"Thank you," Relena whispered, burying her face in the smooth skin of Chinese man's neck. The two stood there for a moment in a comfortable embrace.
"Come on, it's almost lunchtime," Wufei finally said, gently extracting himself from Relena's warm arms. "We can see how they are and how they've been doing before they got that envelope. I'm sure they've got some interesting stories to tell."
Her smile a bit shaky, Relena nodded. "Let's go."
~ ~ ~ ~
A couple hours earlier, just as Heero and Duo where drifting off to sleep, Quatre had finished making the preparations with the staff for the two new guests. That done, Trowa suggested that they retreat to Quatre's room and relax. Happily the blond man agreed, hoping that Trowa had some other activities in mind once they reached said room. Quatre was always quietly pleased when he entered his bedroom, and this time was no exception. Even though it was technically Quatre's private area, the tall man's things were neatly placed in amongst his own; Trowa visited so frequently and stayed so long that he all but lived with the blond man. And that's just the way the two of them liked it.
Plopping down on the edge of the firm mattress, Quatre groaned when the phone rang. They were still in the process of putting together the party, and the stress related to the upcoming event was starting to wear on him. "Trowa?"
"I'll get it," the former HeavyArms pilot responded immediately, flicking the screen on to see Lady Une's face. "Hello."
"Hello, Trowa," the woman responded. "I was just calling to let you and Quatre know that I wouldn't be able to attend that get-together you two have planned. A big case just came up that requires special attention, and I regret that I have to decline your invitation."
"Thanks for letting us know. A big case, huh?" Quatre asked, coming up behind Trowa, his interest piqued. "Will you need any of us to come in?"
"No, I shouldn't," Une replied. "Although I would like to talk to Heero or Duo, but I don't have their exact address, just an email, to which I've already sent a request that they contact me. Last time they checked in with us, they were staying in the same city that the case originated."
"They're both actually here already, we'll let them know. What happened?" Quatre asked, exchanging a glance with Trowa.
"An apartment building was bombed, looks like a random terrorist attack on the surface, but the job was so well executed that it's clearly a professional job," the woman answered.
"How many dead?" Trowa asked bluntly.
"There were thirty-five stories with approximately fifteen apartments per floor. We don't know how many people were in the building at the time of the explosion, but the chances of finding any survivors amongst the wreckage are next to none," Une replied, a shadow crossing her features. "Do you mind if I fax some of the information over to have Duo and Heero look over? Perhaps they can add a fresh perspective, since they'd been living there."
"No problem, send it over," Trowa responded, immediately reaching over and turning the fax machine on.
"Thank you, and I'm truly sorry I couldn't make it," Une said, bowing her head slightly. "Oh, and Mariemeia will still be attending, Dorothy and her are off on a little excursion at the moment and should show up next week sometime. Dorothy said that she'd call you in advance."
"We'll make sure that Duo and Heero get the information, and we're sorry that you can't come," Quatre replied.
"Thank you," Une replied right as her face flickered off the screen, signaling the end of the call.
"Well, this isn't good," Quatre said as he flipped through the sheets of the incoming fax.
"Don't worry about it right now," Trowa replied, pulling the papers from the blond's hands. "As long as the com center is fired up, why don't you contact some of the other guests. I know you were wanting to do that anyway."
Quatre nodded and sat down in the chair Trowa had just vacated. He groaned softly as the other man slowly started to massage his shoulders. "Oh, that feels good."
"That's the general idea," Trowa replied from behind him, a definite note of amusement coloring his voice. "Now, just adjust the screen up a bit and I'll continue."
Nodding, Quatre did so, then flicked the command menu up. Bringing up the dialer, a moment later a black haired man's dirty face filled the screen. "Schbeiker Salvage."
"Hello, is Hilde there?" Quatre asked, having to stifle a sigh as Trowa worked on a particularly tense muscle under his left shoulder blade.
"Naw, she's on vacation. Don't know where, just that she won't be back for a few weeks. Can I help you with something?" The black haired man asked, smiling politely.
"No, that's okay. I was just calling to talk to her," the blond man answered.
"Okay, well, hey, is this Mr. Winner?" The man asked suddenly, as though a light switched on in his head.
"Yes," Quatre replied.
"Oh, okay, Hilde's really is on vacation right now, going somewhere on Earth with a group of friends of hers. I think they're following a concert tour or something. You wouldn't believe it, she dyed her hair and everything," the man said, scratching the side of his head and grinning. Then he took a deep breath and chattered on. "I don't know when exactly she's coming back, but I know she did plan to go to that party of yours. She's been talking about it for weeks now."
"Oh, really? Thanks for letting us know," Quatre answered, taking in all the information. The man spoke as though he were in a hurry.
"No problem. Have a nice day, sir," the man answered, cutting the signal.
"I'm sure she's still coming, you heard the man," Trowa whispered, answered Quatre's question before the blond could even ask it.
Quatre just sighed and brought up the dialer again. Sometime later he was finally done. "So, Sylvia's traveling in Italy, Zechs and Noin aren't answering, Sally is working on that Preventer case of Lady Une's, and Dorothy's off somewhere or other with Mariemeia. And your sister still doesn't know if she'll be able to make it. Whew."
"Feel more settled now?" Trowa asked, swiveling Quatre's chair around and pulling the blond man to his feet.
"Not really. But more relaxed, thanks to you," the former Sandrock pilot answered, shrugging lightly. "I guess I'm a bit worried about that case Une was talking about, and I'm still concerned over that threat Duo and Heero received."
Trowa just nodded, pulling the other man to him in a comforting embrace. "You can't worry about everything, Quatre, it never helps. You'll just drive yourself to distraction."
"I know," the blond man replied, pulling back and looking a bit sheepish. "I can't help worrying, though. And don't try to hide it, you're concerned as well."
"Of course I am," Trowa responded.
"Should we give Heero and Duo Lady Une's fax now? It's been a few hours since we left the others, I'm sure that those two are over some of their jet lag by now," Quatre spoke quickly, obviously trying to cover up his nervousness by pouring his attention elsewhere.
"I suppose. It's almost lunchtime, anyway," Trowa replied, taking the stack of papers from his blond lover. "Now, either stop worrying or I'm going to have to do something drastic."
"Drastic?" Quatre smirked. "That sounds fun."
Trowa just raised an eyebrow at the blond's expression. "That's better."
Smiling now, Quatre reached out and took the other man's free hand. "Thank you, Trowa."
"My pleasure," the taller man replied, gently squeezing Quatre's hand. "I know you're still worried, though."
The Arabian sighed. "I can't help it."
"It's okay, I understand," Trowa whispered.
They left the room, then, going in search of their guests. As they walked the carpeted hallways, Quatre couldn't help but think that something just didn't feel right.
~ ~ ~ ~
A few minutes later Heero and Duo literally almost ran into Trowa and Quatre as both couples rounded a corner coming from opposite directions. Not expecting such an encounter, they all fell into fighting stances and reached for guns that weren't there. A second later they were all laughing nervously and making their way to find Wufei and Relena.
It didn't take very long to find the couple, and the little group proceeded towards the kitchen in inquire about food and sustenance, as Duo put it. Soon they were sitting down at an informal kitchen table to a meal of chicken, rice, and other assorted side items.
"Quatre, sir, here's today's mail, I sent one of the younger maids to go fetch it for you, since you have guests," a heavyset blonde housekeeper said briskly, setting down a stack of envelopes, fliers, junk mail, and magazines. The woman just laughed as the four guests and one almost but not quiet live-in guest stared at the huge pile of mail she had set down. "We get this volume of mail all the time, even when Quatre's not in residence."
Duo leaned forward and picked up an advertisement. "Do they really expect a multimillionaire, or whatever you actually are, Quat, to come down and buy the super special on spatulas at the dollar store?"
"They think he'll buy a million, evidently," Trowa replied, riffling through the stack of mail even as he took another bite of food.
Relena wrinkled her nose as she picked up a supermarket circular. "Pigs' feet? My God."
And so the conversation revolved around the giant stack of junk mail and advertisements, and slowly but surely the stack shrank. Finally all that was left was a collection of envelopes, some obviously bills, others just well disguised advertisements. Carelessly ripping one large envelope open, Quatre lost his smile as he stared at the contents, his eyes wide.
"Quatre?" Trowa asked, catching the change in the blond's attitude immediately.
"It's, it's a blood soaked piece of fabric," Quatre just said, his voice echoing of shock. "There's also a bit of something...it's a lock of hair."
"What?" Heero asked, standing up and rounding the table. He took the cloth carefully, inspecting it. "It's one of ours. From the apartment. Duo, this is part of the towel we wrapped your hand with when it got cut."
"No way," Duo replied, looking suitably stunned.
"It is, the edging of the cloth and the pattern is identical. It's either a snipping of the cloth or it's a very good imitation. Either way, it's not a good thing," Heero answered, laying the stiff bloodied fabric down. He picked up the snipping of hair.
"Heero, that looks like its yours," Wufei said suddenly. Five heads nodded in unison and stared at the tiny lock of dark hair held between Heero's thumb and index finger.
"Holy shit," Duo said.
"Yeah," Relena agreed, her voice shaky, her blue eyes wide.
"This came in the mail? Which envelope?" Trowa asked. Quatre handed it to him. "No return address."
"Big surprise there," Duo muttered.
"No post mark, no postage at all," Trowa continued. "This was put in the mailbox by hand."
"The stalker is here? It followed us? Damn it!" Duo blurted out, his good hand clenched into a tight fist.
"What I want to know is how the hell they got a cleanly cut slice of my hair and the towel we used yesterday," Heero said, anger creeping into his voice. "If I catch that son of a bitch, I'm not going to have him arrested, I'm going to kill him. This is too much."
"That's an understatement," Wufei replied.
"You're safe in the mansion. The alarm system and network of staff insure that," Quatre said. "And I'll be sure to call us some extra guards. We'll get some surveillance cameras pointed at the mailbox, perhaps we can catch this stalker."
"Hopefully," Relena said quietly.
"Well, that ruined my appetite," Duo suddenly said, pushing his plate away from him, tossing his napkin down.
Everyone else just nodded numbly, their good moods brought crashing down by the veiled menace of the bloodied towel and lock of hair. Retreating to one of the recreation rooms, they sat around and watched a movie on a large screen vid-set. The escape the actors and script provided was welcome, and it helped break the ice. Soon the group was discussing the lack of plot and the failings of the picture, but still arguing the good points of the script.
Eventually they broke up into smaller activities, but they all stayed in the same room. While Relena beat the hell out of Wufei at table tennis, the other four occupied themselves with a deck of cards.
"Oh, hey, I almost forgot," Quatre suddenly piped, needing a diversion while he bluffed his way out of a bad hand. "We spoke with Une earlier, she wants you two to look at a case the Preventers are working on. Says that it was a terrorist attack in the city you'd been staying in."
"Oh, really? Is that those papers are, the ones you've been carting around all afternoon?" Duo replied, raising an eyebrow. So Quatre was trying to distract them, eh? Let him try.
"Yes, she sent a fax," Trowa responded, attempting to help his love bluff. Of course, Trowa knew Quatre was bluffing, and since Trowa had good hand, it was all in his best interests.
Heero wordlessly took the papers Trowa handed him from across the table. He carefully kept his hand hidden as he flipped through the fax. He suddenly stopped, dropping his cards to the table and standing up abruptly, his chair scrapping harshly across the floor. The noise cut through the room like a knife, and over at the ping-pong table, Wufei caught the ball mid-bounce. Everyone's attention was riveted on the Japanese man.
"What?" Duo asked, taking the paper from Heero's hands and scanning it. He paled suddenly and dropped his cards, too.
"Um, you guys?" Quatre spoke up, sounding worried.
"The apartment building that was blown up--" Heero started.
Duo set the paper down, linking his good hand with one of Heero's.
"It was ours."
~ ~ ~ ~
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